The Model of Academic Self-handicapping in High School Students: The Role of Cognitive Error, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Neglect, and Psychological Security

Behrouzi, Hassan; Pakdaman, Mjid; Sahebdel, Hossain

Volume 13 - Articles-1402 MEJDS (2023) 13: 87 | Back to browse issues page

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Behrouzi H, Pakdaman M, Sahebdel H. The Model of Academic Self-handicapping in High School Students: The Role of Cognitive Error, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Neglect, and Psychological Security. MEJDS 2023; 13 :87-87
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3072-en.html

The Model of Academic Self-handicapping in High School Students: The Role of Cognitive Error, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Neglect, and Psychological Security

Hassan Behrouzi¹

, Mjid Pakdaman ^*²

, Hossain Sahebdel³

1- PhD Student, Department of Educational Psychology, Qaenat Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qaenat, Iran
2- Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology Department, Qaenat Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qaenat, Iran
3- Assistant Professor of Counseling Department, Qaenat Branch, Islamic Azad University, Qaenat, Iran

Abstract: (909 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Self-handicapping includes any activity a person uses to increase the opportunities to externalize failure, provide an excuse for failure, or attribute success to internal factors. According to the research, self-handicapping results in multiple negative academic, social, and psychological consequences for students. It is possible to improve students' academic performance by identifying the factors related to self-handicapping and psychological security and trying to solve them. Dealing with self-handicapping is crucial because it strengthens many undesirable and ineffective student behaviors. Instead of using effective solutions for educational problems, they get used to denial behaviors to evade their problem. The purpose of the present study was to explain the model of academic self-handicapping in students, considering the role of variables of cognitive error, childhood trauma, emotional neglect, and psychological security.
Methods: This descriptive-analytical research adopted structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all high school students of Behshahr City, Iran, in the academic year 2021-2022. The number is around 7500, according to the Behshahr City Education Administration (July 2022). In this research, the sampling method was purposive. Because at least the number of samples must be 20 times the observed variables, 380 people were enough to be compatible with structural equation modeling. However, in this research, a sample of 421 people was agreed upon to increase the power of generalization. The inclusion criteria were as follows: being a high school student, living in Behshahr, lacking behavioral problems, and having physical health. The exclusion criteria included having a chronic disease, being absent or not completing or incompletely filling in the questionnaires, and refusing to continue cooperation. The study data were gathered via the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) (Bernstein et al., 2003), the Psychological Security Questionnaire (Maslow, 1942), the Emotional Neglect Questionnaire (Downey and Feldman, 1996), the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (Abdollahzade and Salar, 2010), and the Educational Self-Handicapping Questionnaire (Midgley & Urdan, 2001). To analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics were used. In the descriptive statistics section, central and dispersion indices (mean and standard deviation) were used. In the inferential statistics section, the Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis modeling were used. The research data were analyzed at a significance level 0.01 using SPSS version 24 and LISREL version 10.2 statistical software.
Results: The results showed that the effects of psychological security (p<0.001, β=-0.42), childhood trauma (p<0.001, β=0.17), cognitive errors (p<0.001, β=0.18), and emotional neglect (p<0.001, β=0.21) on academic self-handicapping were direct and significant. Also, the effects of childhood trauma (p<0.001, β=-0.30), cognitive errors (p<0.001, β=-0.29), and emotional neglect (p<0.001, β=-0.31) were direct and significant on psychological security. The indirect effects of childhood trauma (p<0.001, β=0.13), cognitive errors (p<0.001, β=0.12), and emotional neglect (p<0.001, β=0.13) on academic self-handicapping were significant due to mediator role of psychological security. The resulting fit indices for the tested model were at a suitable level (RMSEA=0.052, NFI=0.96, CFI=0.98, GFI=0.95, AGFI=0.92).
Conclusion: According to the findings, students enduring cognitive error, childhood trauma, emotional neglect, and psychological insecurity are at risk of suffering from academic self-handicapping. Psychological security as a mediator variable between childhood trauma, cognitive error, and emotional neglect with academic self-handicapping plays a decisive role in students.

Keywords: Academic self-handicapping, Cognitive error, Childhood trauma, Emotional neglect, Psychological security

Full-Text [PDF 739 kb] (482 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

References

1. Midgley C, Kaplan A, Middleton M, Maehr ML, Urdan T, Anderman LH, et al. The development and validation of scales assessing students' achievement goal orientations. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 1998;23(2):113–31. [DOI]

2. Midgley C, Urdan T. Academic self-handicapping and achievement goals: a further examination. Contemporary Educational Psychology. 2001;26(1):61–75. [DOI]

3. Marshall C, Semovski V, Stewart SL. Exposure to childhood interpersonal trauma and mental health service urgency. Child Abuse Negl. 2020;106:104464. [DOI]

4. Yavuzer Y. Investigating the relationship between self-handicapping tendencies, self-esteem and cognitive distortions. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice. 2015;15(4):879–90. [DOI]

5. Rebetez MML, Rochat L, Barsics C, Van Der Linden M. Procrastination as a self-regulation failure: the role of impulsivity and intrusive thoughts. Psychol Rep. 2018;121(1):26–41. [DOI]

6. Michałowski JM, Koziejowski W, Droździel D, Harciarek M, Wypych M. Error processing deficits in academic procrastinators anticipating monetary punishment in a go/no-go study. Pers Individ Dif. 2017;117:198–204. [DOI]

7. Smith TW, Peck JR, Milano RA, Ward JR. Cognitive distortion in rheumatoid arthritis: relation to depression and disability. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988;56(3):412–6. [DOI]

8. Wood JJ, Lynne-Landsman SD, Langer DA, Wood PA, Clark SL, Mark Eddy J, et al. School attendance problems and youth psychopathology: structural cross-lagged regression models in three longitudinal data sets: absenteeism. Child Dev. 2012;83(1):351–66. [DOI]

9. Al-Yateem N, Bani Issa W, Rossiter RC, Al-Shujairi A, Radwan H, Awad M, et al. Anxiety related disorders in adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: a population based cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatr. 2020;20(1):245. [DOI]

10. Azadi E, Fathabadi J. The relationship between unstable self-esteem and fear of negative evaluation with self-handicapping in Tehrani students. Educational Psychology Quarterly. 2010;9(29):23–47. [Persian] [Article]

11. Owens M, Stevenson J, Norgate R, Hadwin JA. Processing efficiency theory in children: working memory as a mediator between trait anxiety and academic performance. Anxiety, Stress Coping. 2008;21(4):417–30. [DOI]

12. Bayanfar F, Dahvari Khas A. Prediction of academic self-handicapping of Payam Noor Semnan University students based on fear of negative evaluation and self-efficacy. In: 5th National Conference on New Approaches in Education and Research [Internet]. Mahmudabad: Islamic Azad University, Mahmudabad branch; 2019. [Persian] [Article]

13. Coudevylle GR, Gernigon C, Martin Ginis KA. Self-esteem, self-confidence, anxiety and claimed self-handicapping: a mediational analysis. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2011;12(6):670–5. [DOI]

14. Namkung J, Peng P. Learning disabilities. In: Frey BB; editor. The SAGE encyclopedia of educational research, measurement, and evaluation. First edition. Sage Pub; 2018.

15. Gadbois SA, Sturgeon RD. Academic self-handicapping: relationships with learning specific and general self-perceptions and academic performance over time: academic self-handicapping. Br J Educ Psychol. 2011;81(2):207–22. [DOI]

16. Shreevastava S, Foltz P. Detecting cognitive distortions from patient-therapist interactions. In: Proceedings of the Seventh Workshop on Computational Linguistics and Clinical Psychology [Internet]. Association for Computational Linguistics; 2021.

17. Ahmadian H, Mirdrekvand F, Ghadampoor E. The developed of educational handicapping model. Research in Teaching. 2019;7(2):213–26. [Persian] [DOI]

18. Ferrari JR, Pychyl TA. The scientific study of procrastination: where have we been and where are we going? foreword. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality. 2000;15(5):3-15.

19. Locke SR, Brawley LR. Development and initial validity of the Exercise-Related Cognitive Errors Questionnaire. Psychol Sport Exerc. 2016;23:82–9. [DOI]

20. Rafiei Bakhsh, F. Prediction of academic self-handicapping based on students' emotional schemas and maladaptive schemas [Master's thesis]. [Shiraz]: Payam Noor University; 2020.

21. Rezaeisadrabadi F. Rabeteye tarhvare nasazegar avalliye khod natavan sazi tahsili dar dokhtaran madar sarparast [The relationship between primary maladaptive schema and academic self-handicapping in daughters of guardian mothers]. In: National Conference on Women and Social Life.Tehran: University of Tehran; 2020. [Persian]

22. Shiralian M, Samvatian R, Hashempour A. The role of cognitive errors and irrational beliefs in marital conflicts during the coronavirus crisis. In: The 9th National Congress of Family Pathology and the 5th National Family Research Festival. Tehran; 2019. [Persian]

23. Abdollahzade H, Salar M. Design and standardization of Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire. Tehran: Azmoon Yar Puya Institute; 2010. [Persian]

24. Bernstein DP, Stein JA, Newcomb MD, Walker E, Pogge D, Ahluvalia T, et al. Development and validation of a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Child Abuse Negl. 2003;27(2):169–90. [DOI]

25. Walker JS. The Maudsley Violence Questionnaire: initial validation and reliability. Pers Individ Dif. 2005;38(1):187–201. [DOI]

26. Pritchard C, Bagley C. Multi-criminal and violent groups among child sex offenders: a heuristic typology in a 2-year cohort of 374 men in two English counties. Child Abuse Negl. 2000;24(4):579–86. [DOI]

27. Garrusi B, Nakhaee N. Validity and reliability of a Persian version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Psychol Rep. 2009;104(2):509–16. [DOI]

28. Larson S, Chapman S, Spetz J, Brindis CD. Chronic childhood trauma, mental health, academic achievement, and school-based health center mental health services. J Sch Health. 2017;87(9):675-86. [DOI]

29. Shojaei M. The role of childhood abuse experiences in adolescent depression with the mediation of early maladaptive schemas [Thesis for MSc]. [Tabriz, Iran]: Tabriz University; 2013. [Persian]

30. McNally P, Taggart L, Shevlin M. Trauma experiences of people with an intellectual disability and their implications: a scoping review. J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2021;34(4):927–49. [DOI]

31. Raiisi F, Hajikaram A, Bakhshi F, Tehrani Zadeh M, Amani F. Predicting internet addiction based on social skills & mental security among university students. Shenakht Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry. 2020;7(2):128–39. [Persian]

32. Hosseini SF, Pourshafi H. Academic self-handicapping (causes, consequences and solutions). In: The Third National Conference on Psychology Updates. Isfahan: University of Isfahan; 2018. [Persian]

33. Schaan VK, Schulz A, Bernstein M, Schächinger H, Vögele C. Effects of rejection intensity and rejection sensitivity on social approach behavior in women. Plos One. 2020;15(1):e0227799. [DOI]

34. Lesnick J, Mendle J. Rejection sensitivity and negative urgency: a proposed framework of intersecting risk for peer stress. Developmental Review. 2021;62:100998. [DOI]

35. Zlomke K, Jeter K, Cook N. Recalled childhood teasing in relation to adult rejection and evaluation sensitivity. Pers Individ Dif. 2016;89:129–33. [DOI]

36. Terada M, Kawamoto T. Rejection sensitivity, self-efficacy, and learning strategy: mediating and moderating the role of basic needs satisfaction. Journal of Psychology. 2017;8(3):449–62. [DOI]

37. Yaghoubi S. The role of body image, sensitivity to rejection, emotion regulation and meta-cognitive monitoring in adolescent social anxiety [Thesis for MSc]. [Tehran, Iran]: Kharazmi University; 2016. [Persian]

38. Herrenkohl PH, Hashmi P, Lowenthal L. Effect of abuse and neglect on academic performance of children in Canada. Journal of Education. 2021;4(8):1–10. [DOI]

39. Yeo KJ, Chan SJ. Relationship between emotional neglect of parents and children's internalizing, externalizing behavior problems and academic achievement. In: Proceedings of the 5th Universitas Ahmad Dahlan Public Health Conference (UPHEC 2019) [Internet]. Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Atlantis Press; 2020. [DOI]

40. Wang J, Cheng X, Xu K, Xu H, Wang H, Feng Z. Rejection sensitivity mediates the relationship between social-interpersonal stressors and depressive symptoms in military context. Front Psychiatry. 2020;11:447. [DOI]

41. Maslow AH. The dynamics of psychological security-insecurity. J Pers. 1942;10(4):331–44. [DOI]

42. Hosseini MA, Dejkam M, Mirlashari J. Correlation between academic achievement and self–esteem in rehabilitation students in Tehran university of social welfare & rehabilitation. Iranian Journal of Medical Education. 2007;7(1):137–42. [Persian] [Article]

43. Musa AKJ, Meshak B, Sagir JI. Adolescents' perception of the psychological security of school environment, emotional development and academic performance in secondary schools in gombe metropolis. J Educ Train Stud. 2016;4(9):144–53. [DOI]

44. Hasanvandi S, Nooripour R, Soheili Zadeh S, Amir Siafi P, Hoseinian S, Jamshidi MA. Pattern of causal relationships of academic self-handicapping of students. Educ Strategy Med Sci. 2016;9(4):266–76. [Persian] [Article]

45. Bas G. Relation between student mental health and academic achievement revisited: a meta-analysis. In: Bernal-Morales B; editor. Health and academic achievement - new findings. Intech Open; 2021. [DOI]

46. Falahi Seresht S. Relationship between resilience and psychological security with happiness in students. In: 7th International Conference on Knowledge and Technology of Educational Sciences Social Studies and Psychology of Iran [Internet]. Tehran: University of Tehran; 2021. [Persian] [Article]

47. Downey G, Feldman SI. Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1996;70(6):1327–43. [DOI]

48. Khoshkam S, Bahrami F, Rahmatollahi F, Najarpourian S. Psychometric properties of Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire in university students in Iran. Journal of Psychological Research. 2014;17(1):21–34. [Persian]

49. Ahmadi E, Hamid N, Marashi A. The effectiveness of compassion focused group therapy on sociotropy and sensitivity to rejection in high school girls in Ahwaz. Journal of Social Psychology. 2020;7(52):65–75. [Persian] [Article]

50. McKay MT, Cannon M, Chambers D, Conroy RM, Coughlan H, Dodd P, et al. Childhood trauma and adult mental disorder: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of longitudinal cohort studies. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2021;143(3):189–205. [DOI]